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I wanted to share my recent experience regarding the front axel in my 350 AWD F Sport. My friends and I were taking a trip to a snowy, slightly hilly area in central Washington. As we were approaching our destination, I noticed a weird metallic sound coming from my car, similar to the sound a car would make when your brake pads were worn out. Considering I replaced them not too long ago, I didn't suspect it was that, but I disregarded at the time
During our stay, I wanted to turn my car around in a driveway area so that it would allow me to leave the slightly hilly driveway easier, as it was covered in snow. As I was turning my car around, I hear a moderately loud pop, followed by what we discovered later to be a bearing being shot out of the car. As it turned out, my front axel got destroyed, which forced me to have to tow my car out of the area. After taking it to the dealer, they had confirmed that it was an issue with Front Axel CV Joint, I believe. Unfortunately, it was not covered under the powertrain warranty due to some modifications I had on the car (Springs and Polyurethane Bushings).
So now I'm waiting for the new axel to come in have it swapped. I don't know if there is a lesson to be learned here, but it is an experience I want to share with you all. Initial tearing of the boot One of the three bearings in the assembly, one is still in the assembly, and the third is missing. The broken axel assembly another view of the assembly
Thanks for sharing your story...definitely I think a first that we have seen.
I gotta ask though, where is the bearing from in your second pic?
I mean the driveshaft doesn't have a bearing in it, and it looks like the inboard tripod joint is obliterated (which is super rare btw)
That only leaves that bearing coming from the front diff.
If the bearing is destroyed, are they replacing the front diff. too, or just the bearing?
Looks like it wobbled itself apart somehow. One tiny event snowballed. Either something tore the boot and debris got in, eating away at the bearing seals or one of those roller bearings decided to break out of prison. either way a broken axle is hardly the serious or most complicated fix. you'll be on your way soon =) can even consider a reman. i'd be willing to bet these are super cheap at autozone, possibly even 2IS carryovers.
Thanks for sharing your story...definitely I think a first that we have seen.
I gotta ask though, where is the bearing from in your second pic?
I mean the driveshaft doesn't have a bearing in it, and it looks like the inboard tripod joint is obliterated (which is super rare btw)
That only leaves that bearing coming from the front diff.
If the bearing is destroyed, are they replacing the front diff. too, or just the bearing?
I wonder how this happened.
That bearing is actually from the left piece in the 4th picture. There are supposed to be 3 of Them in there, one is still there, one is the one in the picture, and the 3rd is missing. One thing to note was that there was a considerable amount of metal shavings in the grease.
I ended up purchasing the axel myself and I’m gonna swap it myself too, hopefully no issues with the front diff.
I'm sorry to see what happened. I'd be interested to know what the root cause of this issue was.
For future reference, suspension and steering components aren't part of the powertrain, but they might be covered in the bumper-to-bumper warranty.
Maybe I misunderstood them, but how I understood them was that the fault would’ve been covered by the warranty since they said that where the axel broke was part of the power train warranty, but it wasn’t qualified due to the mods. But maybe I’m misremembering.
Looks like it wobbled itself apart somehow. One tiny event snowballed. Either something tore the boot and debris got in, eating away at the bearing seals or one of those roller bearings decided to break out of prison. either way a broken axle is hardly the serious or most complicated fix. you'll be on your way soon =) can even consider a reman. i'd be willing to bet these are super cheap at autozone, possibly even 2IS carryovers.
i ended up playing it safe and bought a brand new axel online from another dealer. But it would be nice to know whether the 2IS axel would fit here.
Thanks for sharing your story...definitely I think a first that we have seen.
I gotta ask though, where is the bearing from in your second pic?
I mean the driveshaft doesn't have a bearing in it, and it looks like the inboard tripod joint is obliterated (which is super rare btw)
That only leaves that bearing coming from the front diff.
If the bearing is destroyed, are they replacing the front diff. too, or just the bearing?
I wonder how this happened.
LOL! Just realized the bearing pic you posted was the tripod bearing...is was so big in the pic I thought it was from somewhere else in the front drivetrain.
I never looked at one that close up...probably cause they never fail.
That's really so odd. What mods do you have that they were referring to when denying the warranty on it?
LOL! Just realized the bearing pic you posted was the tripod bearing...is was so big in the pic I thought it was from somewhere else in the front drivetrain.
I never looked at one that close up...probably cause they never fail.
That's really so odd. What mods do you have that they were referring to when denying the warranty on it?
They referenced a lowering kit (I have RSR Down Springs) and aftermarket bushings, which are the RR Racing USRS ones.
The Powertrain Warranty is for 72 months or 70,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Except for the situations listed on the Basic Warranty page, this warranty covers repairs needed to fix defects in materials or workmanship of any component listed below:
Engine: Cylinder block and head and all internal parts, timing belt and cover, flywheel, oil pan, water pump, fuel pump, engine mounts, engine control computer, seals and gaskets.
Transmission and Transaxle: Case and all internal parts, torque converter, clutch cover, mounts, engine control computer, seals and gaskets.
Front-Wheel Drive System: Driveshaft, axle, hub, bearings, seals and gaskets.
Hybrid Vehicle System: Hybrid System Warranty coverage is for eight years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first, and covers the following components: Hybrid control module, Hybrid battery and inverter with converter. See your Lexus dealer for complete details on the Hybrid System Warranty.
They referenced a lowering kit (I have RSR Down Springs) and aftermarket bushings, which are the RR Racing USRS ones.
The bushings wouldn't do eff all, so that's just a grasp at straws.
Plenty have the RSR Downs and I don't think anyone has experienced this before.
In theory you would be changing the angle of the driveshaft, but it's not like it's some dramatic change.
And there are 3 other driveshafts that are perfectly fine.
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Broken Front Axel Story
